Considering this as a potential option once I graduate. Been working closely with human factors engineers for design validation through formative user testing while designing for medical devices. I see that there’s a lot of overlap but not sure how common this path is for people with ID undergrad degrees.

I’m aware that this path will most likely limit my career to be within the medical device industry which I prefer. I’d like to eventually still work with industrial designers but be more on the detailed user testing and formal design evaluation side.

Hello everyone,

I'm currently a biology major at Georgia Tech with the intention of pursuing ecology/environmental research. Although, I'm not loving it and I'm scared that I'm not going to love it enough to make such little money (wildlife ecology makes like below minimum wage lowkey). So instead of biology I'm thinking of switching to Industrial Design. I've always had some sort of passion for art and design and It's currently seeming very interesting to me, but here are my concerns:

I have very amateur art design experience so far. All I have done with art in my life so far is take art classes in high school, including ap drawing if that counts for anything. Though this is only 2D work. I have no woodworking, sewing, or 3D work experience, which scares me if I were to go into ID. Basically I'm just scared that I'm not good or creative enough lmfao.

Second, I can't tell if I actually want to do ID or just like the idea of ID. This year I met too many really cool people that do ID that are just insanely good at it and build random cool stuff in their free time. I'm just afraid that I'm stealing their personalities/currently hyper-fixating on ID instead of actually wanting to pursue it. Although currently the idea is really appealing to me so I'm not sure if this applies.

So the question I need help answering is if I should switch my major to ID, minor in it, or just stick to bio. If I majored in it, I think I could start next semester, although would have to take the first year studio starting next year and technically be a year behind. If I end up loving ID, I'm okay with this, although I currently can't tell if this is worth it. The other option is to minor in ID to see if I truly like it first, switch majors completely if I love it, or fall back to bio if I hate it. If I minored in ID, the only downside is that I would have to take Orgo I and Cell and Molecular Science plus the Lab during study abroad over the summer, and then first semester second year of college I can start taking the first year ID studio, but I'd be taking it alongside Orgo 2, Synthesis Lab, and Linear Algebra. Personally, I'm not super fond of this idea, but If I just work really hard it might end up being worth it. The third option is to just stick with bio; let me know if I'm being delusional living an ID fantasy and should just stick to bio.

If you read all of that, thank you so much I love you. I would appreciate any comments or advice if you have time :).

Hey everyone,

I’m hoping to get some feedback on my portfolio that I put together for my Industrial design pre-major at college. Before you get into the major I gotta submit this portfolio to get into the pre-major. Unfortunately I did not get in. I feel a little discouraged and disappointed as I did put in a some effort in, however there were apparently upwards of 150+ applicants. Thus why I am here looking for some feedback on what I could do better next time.

As many of you are probably already in the field or have much more experience than me I was looking for any pointers on anything to refine, new projects or skills to develop, or something to practice. I will link my presentation here. I believe a factor in the process was definitely my use of AI, as it was not considered original. Another was my sketching, as it's not up to par really. Next time I'd like to add more projects, improve sketching and perhaps animate and refine my CAD design.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Thanks

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-JXlTPuFiJXjK9ez70oMfshzWjkQpxWlPZuK7fAdtNY/edit?usp=sharing

I’ve been cross referencing average ID salaries on Corofloat and Glassdoor (mid level position in medical devices and consumer tech) to the cost of living index. Below is a table showing this derived from ChatGPT o1 Preview, from your experience how accurate is it (can live relatively comfortably in cities at the top compared to the bottom):

https://i.imgur.com/VJRs2b5.jpeg

Hello everyone! I'm a junior industrial Designer struggling to find new career opportunities and begin my career. I finished design school on 2020 since then I've been working on graphic design and very few personal projects related to industrial design. As much as I love graphic projects my true passion is creating innovative products. It's been hard to me to find advice or recognize the path to follow to make this passion my career. Please if you have any advice or recommendations. I have a portafolio that I can share even tho it is a little outdated.

Thank you so much!!

I'm currently in a business program and I'm hoping to pursue a career that is more focused on desiging and manufacturing physical products. Given my current courses, I'm unable to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Deisgn.

Although Industrial Engineering mostly focuses on process and system design, is it still possible to get a job in product design with an industrial engineering degree if I'm able to develop skills through freelancing or supplemental courses?

Hi everyone, I'm an Industrial design student and my project is trying to design a navigation device for new hiking people. I don't want to design an app because people get into the woods are supposed to enjoy the view instead of typing in a cave. The problems I found for current products is their 3d version of mapping and lack of "time to go back" notifications unless you flip your device in your palm.

What do you all think about this idea? What do you find the most annoying carrying a navigation device around? And what feature would you focus on if you are redesigning such an item? This will help me a lot!

My current painting software lacks some brushes to make my projects look a bit more professional

Being a designer only makes me too picky on stuff and can’t find something I like on market. 🤡

I am looking to prototype a silicone part and am looking into compression molding. We anticipate iteration on the part and may need to tool down the mold during the process. Is this possible with aluminum molds?

I've always been a big fan of 3D printing but has been exploring other ways to get a feel of some of my early mockups. Do y'all have suggestions for other ways to make mockups?

Looking at the charms on Perfect by Mark Jacobs and I'm wondering if the cat and inflated balloon, were designed in a program similar to blender where they could free sculpt and inflate parts. Then send off STL files to the manufacturer. The other charms on this cap could easily be made in CAD.

We're having trouble with the durability of our pad printed graphics on a few different painted metal parts. The graphics are on a surface where the product is held in the hand and the geometry is conical on a few of the parts and on some of the others it's more complex than that. We would prefer to use silk screening, which applies a thicker layer of ink and is more durable, but according to our supplier that isn't possible due to the geometry. Is that accurate? I've only ever seen videos of silk screen printing on stuff like T-shirts and mugs.

Are there any other processes out there other than pad printing and screen printing? Laser etching/marking isn't an option for this product.

Hello I'm doing my final year project on plates and I can't seem to find the evolution of the shape of plates. There is research on materials and properties but no so much regarding the form. Is there any resource or anything I can look for or any kind of help regarding this

Hey everyone!

Looking for some cool websites that blend industrial design art with an online shop. Any favorites? Just need some inspiration. Thanks!

I need to create a similar waterproofing method for a tiny switch. I was wondering how they achieved it on the iPhone. (or similar devices)

I guess the seal needs to be bonded to the metal frame and potentially plastic parts? At the same time it needs to be flexible but also have a good click feeling.

I thought about using a TPU film that is glued to metal and plastic surfaces but not sure if that is a good solution (also trying to find a suitable adhesive for that)

I’d like to have some feedbacks about it, I’m a third year ID student, never tried to do a portfolio.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/211161963/Product-design-portfolio-2024

Thank you in advance for any feedback and tips.

This is the weekly questions thread. Please post your career questions and general ID questions here.

*Remember to be civil when answering questions*

Hello All!
I’ve been using Squarespace for about two years. I graduated from design school last year and am currently looking for a job in the field. Squarespace has been a great platform for showcasing my portfolio and creating a clean, professional website. But with a Adobe subscription and other personal expenses and subscription, these $36 monthly fee is burning a hole in my wallet. Has anyone here used Behance exclusively as their portfolio site? How successful have you found it for job searching and promoting your work?
I would love to hear your point of views!

Thanks!

I've had ID colleagues and friends that have used and let me try such devices and honestly they are kinda nice, i was wondering if any of y'all have any tips or recommendations on which i should choose if i end up wanting to buy one.

Im pretty low on budget tho, but i've always been a second hand kind of guy soo if you give any names and i can find them on facebook marketplace, its all good.

PS: Also tell me your experiences with them.

Thanks in advance!

I watched a home tour with Jenna Lyons & she mentioned going to the beach & taking a bottle of Sea Water to age her Brass fixtures & she mentioned that salt water won't work? Does this really work & how long does it take for sea water to age brass?